Poker pros usually work for themselves, making this career path an independent one. However, living on the negative can be difficult.
There are plenty of poker adjacent roles that still provide experience in the industry – such as trading, investing or coding. And you can always apply these skills on your own time at the table!
Education and Training
Full-time professionals that play poker often have to use their free time to qualify for tournaments. It’s a lot of travel from different venues, and long periods of time spent alone.
Some players move on to jobs in the financial industry because they learned how to assess long-term losses and gains, but other former players might opt for customer-facing work within casino gaming. Not only is it great way to socialize with fellow enthusiasts while getting paid, it also requires training in dealing various card games including poker.
Gaming License
Many people dream of going pro and becoming a millionaire off their favorite hobby, just like many professional athletes do. However, only a select few manage this transition successfully.
The highest-earning professional poker player doesn’t make millions every year; their earnings fluctuate month by month dramatically. They could win big one month before losing everything in another.
Although aspiring pro players likely hope they’ll earn all their income through playing cards, there are still ways to make money in this industry even if things don’t go well at the table. Coaching is a good example of that alternate money-making route. It could also offer remote work options with enough freedom for you keep playing yourself – depending on clients’ demand and how often you have to get behind them at the table.
Business Management
For number nerds who want to stay involved with poker while using other skill sets: Consider a business management role at a casino or gaming facility that offers cards. When applying for these positions you’ll need knowledge about local gambling laws so you know what kind of environment managers must oversee.
The principles of poker can lend themselves well to running a business. The game is all about calculating risks and rewards by weighing limited information, then adjusting your strategy accordingly. Successful poker players change their plans at the table in real time, responding to changes in circumstance or even how their friends are playing. Similarly, good business people stay nimble and adjust their strategies when necessary to out-maneuver competitors.
Additionally, managers often make important decisions without all necessary facts in front of them – a skill that experienced poker players have likely mastered.
Poker players have a certain set of skills that can apply to a lot of things, including financial services and other career fields. One example is in the world of hedge fund management, where their ability to view losses and gains over big spans of time helps them make informed decisions about risk. They’re also good at making decisions with only partial information.
Software engineers and coders can also convert their skillset into something valuable at the poker table. For example, they could develop new tools that change how people play. And if you love gaming so much that nothing beats the actual casino experience for you, virtual reality technology has made it possible for you to step inside one from your living room – and even design it however you want.
Actuaries are often former poker players as well — this branch of mathematics requires a deep understanding of probability and statistics to perform risk analysis on deals and hand odds. Actuaries can find work in many different industries too!
